Megami Castle: Volume 0 (Kōkatsuna)
by Valstorm
Summary: A young man travels to America to start his college experience, but on the way falls asleep and wakes up in a strange world with a tall butler, a violent world, and 12 adorable/hot goddesses with varying personalities and traits. Is he destined to stay there forever, or will he return to the human world?
1. Prologue, Chapter 1

Prologue

Hi everyone! So this story is heavily influenced by the RPG maker game "Mogeko Castle". I thought of it early morning April 7th when I couldn't sleep. At first I just thought of a random harem anime in my sleeplessness, but before long I started naming everyone in this imagined world, what it was like, the different personalities, and so forth. This story is intended for audiences above the age of 13, but some scenes that I write can get…very X-rated (I will label these chapters). I'll try to publish this series as often as I can, but college is difficult and I may not be able to publish anything for weeks, possibly a month, but I will try to put in more content whenever I can. Any messages for story questions or improvements are welcome. This series will either be never-ending or extremely long, but I can assure you that if you like harems, you will love this tale. Please stick around for Chapter 1: Arrival at Goddess Castle (Megami means Goddess in Japanese).

Warning: This story will contain, either in this volume or later ones, triggering themes that may upset some readers. If you are sensitive to any of the following themes, please do not continue reading, or read ahead at your own discretion: rape, torture, pedophilia, violence, sexual references (which are constant with one of the characters…it can get funny sometimes), possible homosexual incest (I haven't decided), swearing, and characters that may reflect some readers pasts' and possibly bring up bad memories. If anything on this list arouses emotion and you think it may offend you, please close this story.

[Any text in brackets is me, the author, editing in how I feel about a scene, or attempting to explain something, like a character's bio. I may also put fun facts in these brackets. For example, did you know I'm typing this in Microsoft Word 2007? The Prequel and Chapters are in 18 point font in Times New Roman, and the rest of the text is in 16 point. The more you knoooowwwww! I also may use brackets to talk to the reader or insert a pun or joke.]

(Parentheses are used for character thoughts or any explanations from the character's point of view, as opposed to the author's. I may also use parenthesis to explain something "in other words", as you will see very early on in Chapter 1!)

Chapter 1: Arrival at Megami Castle!

Our story begins in Japan. We shall follow our protagonist; Kōkatsuna Kishi [Roughly translates from Japanese into "Cunning Knight" in English. I will typically refer to him as Kishi since my keyboard does not have any key with the "ō" on it, and I refuse to copy and paste one character every time I refer to him. Deal with it :D].

Kōkatsuna Kishi is 18 years old and recently graduated from high school. He is currently on a plane headed to America in hopes of graduating college with some degree that will land him a high-paying job. He isn't sure what degree that will be however…he plans on spending his first two years taking his general education classes while deciding on a major. However, what he doesn't know is that he alone will enter a dimension of adventure, play, violence, lust, and confusion.

[Kishi is a genius, but also kind of lazy and loves sleeping. As such, he had no problem graduating at #12 in his class with high honors, despite sleeping in class more often than staying awake. He prides himself on not just being book smart, but also being able to apply his knowledge to the various situations he had to overcome throughout his life; more on this later. Kishi is about 5'9" with a thin but toned build. He weighs about 61kg (134.5 lbs), has short black hair, and is currently wearing his old high school uniform, because he likes it. His birthday is January 31, 2025. Therefore, this story takes place in 2043.]

[Setting: It is currently August 2043. Kishi worked over the summer at a part time job as a computer technician, since American colleges start in the fall and in Japan, school ends early spring]

Before too long, the flight had lasted over 6 hours and Kishi couldn't sleep the night before. It didn't take much lulling of the engine to send him into a blissful sleep. He started dreaming of American females, wondering if they were just like the way Tina from Ai Yori Aoshi is portrayed. The last thing he dreamed of while on that plane was a harem of females, all eyeing him as if he was catnip, and they were the cats.

Kishi opened his eyes, still slightly groggy from the nap. He did not hear the plane's engine running, nor could he feel it. He looked around and noticed no one was in the plane. "Huh…?" he stammered in confusion. Getting up, Kishi started walking to the front of the plane, but noticed something odd. The plane wasn't the high-tech ones being currently used in Japan's airlines. It appeared as if it was a plane from the early 21st century or perhaps even late 20th century. And…it appeared run down, as if no one ever cared for it.

"Hello? Anyone there? HELLO?!" But no response reached his ears. Kishi was fluent in both Japanese and English, so he tried both languages. Even so, no one responded. The front hatch was open, so he went over and looked out. Was he…at a bus stop? On a plane? Kishi blinked dumbly a few times then whispered to himself "…did that stewardess spike my ginger ale?" He rubbed his eyes gently and looked again. Nope, nothing changed, still inside a run-down airplane in the middle of a vacant street at night in front of a bus stop.

It was a substantial 50 foot drop from the ground, but thankfully the air-slide was already deployed. "Well, this is my best bet of getting off here…", and with a gently shove, he slid down and exited the plane. Kishi had a few belongings on him, his clothes and his backpack. Inside were his laptop computer that he upgraded and customized, as well as several cords and controllers for gaming, a few books, a large notebook, and one change of clothes.

Kishi took out the notebook and looked around. This notebook was brand-new and he planned to record his observations in America so when he returned to Japan, he could tell his family about all the stories he witnessed. "Well America definitely doesn't look like what I imagined it'd look like" he jokingly said aloud. He opened the first page and started writing down what he witnessed. He started with falling asleep on the plane, then proceeded to write about the… "Wait…how should I phrase this?" he thought to himself. How can he explain teleporting onto the-! "Well…that is the best possible explanation as of now" as he wrote down the word "teleported" onto the paper.

Kishi closed the notebook and kept it under his arm, having recorded all his observations. Nearby was a sign directing passengers, in this case him, to three locations. Right was Megami Castle, ahead was - park (the text was badly worn and faded), and left was a bus stop. Still groggy, Kishi didn't comprehend the sign's directions until after a few long seconds, before realizing his surprise. "THERE'S A CASTLE HERE?" he practically shouted. He looked right to see a long pathway fading into the midnight darkness. He looked ahead, but all he saw at the T intersection at the crosswalk he was on was a fountain with flowers around it. Left was blocked by what looked like…wrecked busses that have long since been destroyed? As he passed by the T intersection past the narrow entrance to the park, he got an uneasy feeling about it. "Definitely not going there without a flashlight" he thought.

He followed the other narrow pathway that lead to Megami Castle. The path was…unusual. It was fenced in and kept getting narrower and narrower as he walked forward. Towards the end of the path, he could barely squeeze forward. What kind of architect designs a sidewalk with fences that is so narrow, the normal person can't even squeeze through?! However, he managed to get through, holding his backpack in one hand, the notebook in another, and with both arms outstretched, he squeezed through…barely. Panting, he continued on, his eyes just starting to open after squeezing shut while getting through the narrow passageway. Before he could process what had happened, he bumped into what felt like a thin tree. "KYAH!" he yelped in surprise, rubbing his head after dropping his notebook. The thin tree-like figure bent down and grabbed the notebook, handing it to him. "Is this yours, sir? You dropped it."

Kishi looked up at the figure. It appeared to be an unusually thin man, perhaps 9 feet tall or more, wearing a butler uniform. He wore a smiling theatre mask which kept his face hidden. "Who are…you?" he asked. "Patience…you will know before long. Follow me, it isn't safe out here." The tall man turned and slowly sauntered away, looking back to make sure Kishi was following. A strange man appeared out of nowhere and wants me to follow him? On top of that, how did he get so tall? None of this made any sense to him, but he figured he's seen enough crazy shit in the past 30 minutes or so to not question it.

[Kishi loved anime, and enjoyed ones that were quirky and supernatural. So his current situation surprised him slightly less than it would a normal individual.]

Kishi was mesmerized by the tall man. Based on his deep voice, Kishi placed the man somewhere between his 50s and 60s. They walked for what seemed like two kilometers in the darkness. Kishi had no clue where they were headed. Before long, something caught his eye…a white road? No…more like a white brick pathway that was wide enough to park 5 cars on, side by side. Upon getting closer to the path, the moon high in the sky shone upon the path ahead, and what was revealed was a castle. A large, dark castle with lights on inside, although the lights appeared on different floors.

As they drew closer to the drawbridge, Kishi wrote down what he observed thus far in his notebook. Interestingly, as they approached the drawbridge, it seemed to have lowered itself. The tall man noticed Kishi's interest and asked him "Young man, do you have questions you need answers for?" Kishi looked up and nodded. Where was he? WHEN was he? Was this the future or the past? (He wasn't sure how the drawbridge lowered itself despite no one being on the opposite side). As if to read his curiosity, the tall man said "how about this? You may ask me three questions now, and I get to ask you three questions back." Interesting proposal, Kishi thought. Alright, you're on!

What shall I ask him? Well…first of all I mind as well ask for time periods. "So, what time period are we in?" The tall man seemed puzzled as he stroke his invisible/nonexistent beard slowly before answering "Well…we are currently in the year 2043." So that solves that mystery. I suppose it's like the middle ages if they modernized a bit. I mean…those lights aren't from candles, and they are of different colors. Next I asked for his name. "My name? Well, you'll know when we enter! I won't count that as a question, so you have two more."

I slowly thought to myself how I could make these questions answer my most burning questions, or a lot at the same time. Without meaning to, my mouth seemed to have moved on its own. "How can I trust you?" SHIT! I didn't mean to be rude! Ah fuck, now he's gonna throw me into the water… "Hmmm…" he seemed to think. Wait, is he NOT going to murder me? "I suppose it is only natural you may have your doubts. You'll just have to trust me. You will feel a lot safer and at peace once we are inside." Well I do know judo, and I was on my high school's track team, so it isn't like he's going to overpower me with those scrawny limbs of his…right? Right?

"Uhhh…where are we?" This was my final question, which I saved because I love addressing the elephant in the room last. Call it a weird quirk. The tall man laughed and answered "I figured you'd ask that eventually. We are in a separate dimension, in simple terms. In front of us is going to be your home for the time being…Megami Castle, home of the 12 goddesses!"


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Roald and the 12 months!

[In case you haven't noticed, I switched towards the end in chapter 1 from a third person perspective to a first person perspective. For the remainder of the story, I will write in first person since it comes to me more naturally]

Before long we reached the front entrance and stood before two large stone doors. Maybe they were metal, I couldn't tell. I attempted to push them open, but to no avail. Perhaps it can only be opened from the inside? As I pondered this, the tall man pushed open the doors with ease. My jaw dropped. How can this stick of a person physically push these doors that are about 5 times taller than he is? Well there goes my "overpower him" idea if I wanted to get away.

He led me into the castle's main hall. My eyes widened with astonishment. It was a huge hall, red carpet decorating the floors like elegant paved roads going into the various rooms. At the far end were marble staircases with red carpet fastened atop the marble. There also seemed to be a somewhat large but old-style elevator in-between the two staircases. This elevator seemed to be old, but judging by the lack of any pulley system above it (oh, the elevator shaft was see-through glass), I figured it must run off the somewhat new magnetism technology discovered in 2024.

These elevators aren't foreign to me. In fact, all of Japan, Europe, and America have adopted these elevators in newer buildings and have replaced most of the old elevators with the newer style ones. They use highly charged magnets to elevate the cabin up, and low voltage magnets to slowly allow the cabin to drop. It is much more energy efficient, and ever since a group of scientists invented Tesla Electronics (wireless electricity components), it has been easier than ever to make elevator cabins completely free of wires or cables.

"Welcome back Roald!" a childish voice rang through the halls. The tall man sighed and turned to his right. A young girl, probably 9 or 10, started running up to the tall man. So I'm assuming the tall guy is named Roald. I looked at the little girl. She had short black hair that reached her upper back, a sweater that barely fit her, and a very innocent and childish expression. Was this his daughter? If so, it'd be weird to call one's father by his first name…

[Bio: Roald. Roald is something of a mystery, but we do know a few things about him. He is somewhere between 9 and 10 feet tall, though no one really knows his true height because he neglected to tell anyone and no one is tall enough to get a tape measure up to his head. His weight is also a mystery, though rumors say based on the force he exerts on the ground that he must be between 100kg and 130kg (220.4-286.6 lbs). Roald is also known to be the most feared man in the world due to his combat expertise and pain tolerance towards fists, which makes him the perfect body guard. He also is very knowledgeable in marketing and accounting.]

"Kishi, this is January. She is the youngest of the 12 goddesses." Wait…GODDESSES? What the hell? You're telling me this little child who looks like she'd cry if a ladybug died…is a goddess? "Hey, how are you January?" I asked her. She held onto Roald's hand tightly and hid behind him, which didn't do her much good considering how thin he is. After a couple seconds she shyly whispered "H…h-hi…" then hid her face behind Roald. The act made me laugh slightly, but then curiosity hit me. "So where are the other 11? What are they like?"

Roald scratched the back of his head and told me "you'll meet the rest in due time. If they are interested in meeting you, they'll say something. Your designated room for the time being is the door right of the right stairway. My room is left of the left stairway". Well that makes sense; keep an eye on the guy you met not even two hours ago.

[Bio: January. January has short black hair that is short in the front and slightly longer in the back. She is 10 years old, the most innocent of her sisters. She enjoys playing childish games, like tag or hide-and-seek with Roald and her sisters, and loves cupcakes. Her biggest pet peeve is seeing her sisters in distress. She stands at a petite 3'10" (116.8cm). She excels at arts and crafts.]

I headed to my room to set my stuff down, January questioning Roald who "the new guy was". I ignored it and went into the room, setting my bag down. Inside was another girl, this one much older with dirty blonde hair that falls to her waist. Two locks flow towards the front over her chest. I would place this girl in her late 20's.

"O-oh, hi. You must be the new guest? I'm just finishing up here, putting away your clothes." My clothes? I took a look, and while they weren't the clothes I had packed or left back home in Japan, they were my kind of style, so wearing them wouldn't be a nightmare.

"Ah…th-thanks. My name is Kishi. I'll be staying here temporarily, according to Roald." After I said this, she smiled slightly, and then let out a small laugh. Her laughing was adorable. She turned to me and whispered "he just says that, but if you are kind to us, he may urge you to stay with us. It's very dangerous out there, and a cute boy like you wouldn't last very long."

I wasn't sure if I should be flattered that someone thinks I'm cute, or offended that she thought I could not defend myself. She then stood in the doorway to my new, small bedroom (about half the size of a studio apartment), and turned around. "My name is August; it is a pleasure to meet you!"

[Bio: August, age 30. August is the caretaker of her younger siblings, acting as a mother figure. She carries a lot of maturity in comparison with even her older sisters, but still finds herself being overly curious about everything and anything. She finds herself caring deeply for January, going out of her way to prepare special meals for her upon request. She stands at 5'5" (165.1cm), and also wears a D cup sized bra. Her area of expertise is home economics, and economics in general.]

She walked out of the room leaving me in peace. Oddly enough with the sudden rise of commotion in the hallway, once the door closed there was dead silence. It was almost deafening. I looked around the room. It was lit by a soft, warm glow that came from the ceiling. No, they weren't exactly light bulbs, but more like…giant powerful glow sticks that never went out. I've seen them being developed at Tokyo University, but they were still in the beta stage. How did these people get a hold of something like this?

It didn't take long for me to lie down and start unpacking the stuff I had in my backpack before someone burst through my door, scaring me shitless. A girl slightly younger than August sporting red hair slightly longer than mine stood in the doorway, standing in a threatening pose. I instantly could tell this girl was no stranger to combat, even my training in judo would be no match for her. "Listen up buttercup, if you harm anyone in this house, I will throw you into a living hell until you beg for death! GOT IT?!" I gulped hard and nodded, too scared to speak. The girl then smiled and softly said "Good boy. If you need a bodyguard, ask Roald. If he's busy, ask March. If March is busy, then I guess you can bother me. Name's July. Fun meeting you." She promptly stormed out.

[Bio: July. July has short red hair. She can be bossy and short-tempered. July also yells a lot and has a tendency to be very sarcastic and jokingly pessimistic. She is addicted to fighting, sometimes leaving the castle to stir up trouble. However when she is calm and happy, she can be quite cute. She wears a C cup and stands at 5'9" (179.3cm). Her scholastic fields of expertise include anatomy, physiology, kinesiology, and biology.]

I guess she was the protector of the bunch, so no surprise there. I felt drained from all that happened and could barely produce any emotion from being so exhausted. I promptly locked the door, and fell on my bed, but not before undressing to my boxers and crawling under the sheets. It took me no longer than two minutes to be in a deep sleep. If I was any deeper in my sleep, psychologists would probably discover a new stage in the sleep cycle, like omega waves or something.

While asleep, my brain decided to point out that clocks were not present anywhere I looked. My mind tends to recall things while asleep that I may have missed when I'm tired. I also noticed that the one to two hours I was outside consisted of constant darkness on a full moon. The moon did not move at all from its position, leading me to conclude that night is always present in this world. If that was the case, it would explain why Roald said that the outside world is dangerous. If he had said "dangerous at night", that would lead me to think there was a morning, but the implication he hinted at felt like he meant to say "dangerous all the time".

As my brain raced through these thoughts, I felt a sense of uneasiness. I felt as if…someone was watching me. I wanted to wake up to check, but my mind was too exhausted and kept me asleep. I typically get these feelings when my mother stands in my room, wondering if it is safe to wake me up or not. But I knew my mother wasn't in this world. What my gut feeling told me was that someone else that I haven't met yet was in the room, watching me.

Before long I woke up facing the wall. That nagging feeling of being watched did not go away, and upon focusing my ears, I heard breathing other than mine. Yeah, someone else was right behind me. But there was no threat to the presence. I remained on guard and decided to check…stealthily. My arms were both in front of me, and I still had my watch on. My watch was covered by a plate to prevent scratches, and upon flipping the plate up, there was a mirror. I slowly reached to the switch to flip the mirror up, but right as I was about to hit the switch…

"So you're awake at last…about time!" A mature, seductive voice echoed through the room. I quickly pressed the switch, springing the plate/mirror upwards. In the mirror I saw the gentle mature face of a lady with white hair. She seemed to be about middle-aged, but she had no wrinkles or marks. Intrigued, I calmly turned around, deciding she isn't a threat. July must have jump started my nerves for me to be this much on edge. I closed my watch as I sat upright.

In front of me was a white-haired lady wearing an elegant dress. She seemed to dress like a queen from the English Victorian era, complete with white gloves that went up to her upper arm. She smiled sweetly and spoke softly. "Welcome to Megami Castle. I hope my sisters did not cause you too much grief. My name is December, and you are our honored guest." She leaned in, her giant boobs pressing against my chest. Thankfully I wasn't too much of a pervert, so it didn't throw me off too hard. She stared into my eyes, her face literally an inch from mine, at most. "You must be a prince, to be so handsome and young. My…if you were older I might fall for you!" She backed away slowly, smiling. A drop of sweat rolled down my right intercostals. She stood up and proceeded to leave. As she opened the door and exited she left me with one chilling sentence "Or maybe…you're into older women?"

[Bio: December, age 42. December has long, flowing white hair that reaches her hips and acts like a queen, but isn't spoiled. She tries to dress elegantly and cares very deeply for January. An expert in fencing, she wields a rapier when going outside for self-defense. She also has the largest chest out of all the sisters, sporting an H cup, but wears tight bras to make it seem smaller when outside her bedroom. She stands at an height of 6'2" (188cm). December may not appear like it, but she excels in philosophy, sociology, and sex education.]

*Cla…Da* the door closed. Wait…was she inviting me to date her? She isn't bad looking for a milf-…GAH! What the hell am I thinking? She isn't bad for an older lady. THAT'S WHAT I SHOULD BE THINKING! I got out of bed and realized that the whole time I was speaking to her, I was practically naked except for my upper thighs and family jewels. My face flushed red with embarrassment. Crap, not even a full 24 hours here and someone saw me indecently! What the hell, I even locked the door!

It then hit me. She's likely the queen of this castle, so she probably has a master key of some sort. Well in all honesty, it IS kind of her fault she snuck in like that. Nevertheless, I got up feeling much better rested and got dressed, putting my old clothes in the laundry basket just beside the door. I checked my phone and noticed I had no signal. Figures. Surprisingly, there was a wifi network here. It was called… "Headshot420"? Is there a gamer in this castle? Weird. I tried connecting, but of course it has to be password protected. No point in guessing if I don't know for sure. I opened the front door and headed out into the hallway. I sure was hungry…


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: A Feast Fit for a Queen!

I headed out into the hallway, which was deserted. I wondered if I had missed a meal or something, but I wasn't sure how food here was served. Some families organize certain times for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I was always used to "if you get hungry, make your own meal, but dinner is reserved for family time".

I made my way to Roald's door, sighed heavily, then nervously knocked. No response. I knocked again. The door opened, and inside was Roald sitting in a chair. His room was much larger than mine, with a tea table behind him, but no bed in sight. Maybe his bed was just out of my view. I thought it strange he should have a chair directly in front of the door, but perhaps he moved it there after my first knock.

"Yes, what is it, lord Kishi?" he spoke calmly. Before I could say anything, my stomach growled in response. Well if that doesn't convey my message, nothing will. "Hungry, are you? I told the ladies to not eat anything so that we may feast together, and you may meet everyone else." Feast together, huh? Is he implying that normally people just head to the kitchen when they get hungry and bring their cuisine to the dining room?

I nodded. "Y-yeah…I haven't eaten in quite some time…" It was true; the last thing I had to eat was before the trip. I dined on sushi and miso soup, not much of a meal. I had hoped to try unhealthy American food, like fast food pizza or snacks, but that will have to wait until I return to my world. I'm not in any rush, but what happened recently put me on edge slightly.

Roald stood up and somehow managed to exit under the 7 foot doorway. I noticed his room had high ceilings, so I was somewhat relieved. It would really suck if he got scoliosis from being hunched over all the time. I followed him into a large room with a mahogany table lined with various chairs of different sorts. No, like each chair was completely different!

My seat was pretty basic, but still really comfortable. Roald pressed some kind of button and announced that dinner was ready. Was he cooking something telepathically from his room? I decided to bring up the question after getting a good look at all the chairs in the room.

Down the table to my right was a small chair with high legs. It was pink and plush, probably January's chair. To the left of that, which was closer to me, was a silk-lined pink/red chair with a backrest shaped in a heart. Looks comfy! Next up was a green chair with a WC receiver on it (WC stands for wireless current, used in things like wireless charging or wireless, battery-free power sources). Directly to my right was something like an egg-chair with little compartments inside, one holding tissues and another, a small cylinder. Weird, that cylinder must be some sort of chair trash can. Where I sat was a comfortable leather chair you'd expect at a high-class restaurant. There wasn't really anything special about it though. To my direct left was a high-tech chair similar to the egg chair to my right, but with all sorts of switches and buttons on it. The top part drooped down, which would cover the face of anyone sitting in it if they were tall. I realized at least 30 seconds have passed since I sat down, and that I should ask my question now.

"Ummm…Roald is it? How is dinner ready when we just got here?" He smiled at my surprise. "The kitchen is large, with several ovens and stoves. About an hour ago I started preparing; I figured you'd wake up soon. I normally don't cook the meals, and we actually don't even eat here all that often. However, rest assured everything will taste perfectly! The food isn't actually ready, it still needs about half an hour, but you can get acquainted with the other girls you did not see yet."

Sneaky bastard. I never liked social situations. Most of my peers never talked about anything intellectual, they just enjoyed gossip and whatever new bands were coming out. While they talked about that, I wrote out several ideas for inventions I thought about. I planned to gather them into a small binder and bring it to my university so that I may be able to use the ideas as research papers to easily get accepted into a graduate school. They love research papers. The binder is in my suitcase which should be on the plane I was on before I disappeared.

The door, which was to my right by about ten meters, suddenly opened and January came running in, practically flying into her chair, eager to devour a supermarket if she saw fit. I smiled and started examining the other chairs. January probably just needs time to adjust to me, talking to her would probably make her shy and ruin her appetite. To the left of the techie egg chair at the corner of the table was a super soft chair with another WC receiver on it, though it had a large base. I've seen these in magazines before, chairs that recline into beds at the press of a button. Interesting.

Across from the bed-chair was a red chair with holsters for swords, knives, and a few other melee weapons. To the left of that chair (and to my front-right, since I was still on my side of the table) was a modest, simple chair designed for comfort and simplicity. Nothing too unique about it. Next to that, a brown leather chair that I instantly recognized as a vibrating chair. Could the occupant of that chair have back problems? Next to that was another high-tech orange chair with a heating lamp built onto the side, with various kitchen knives stuck in a wooden block in front of the left arm rest. The next chair was also an egg chair, but had a button that looked like a slightly broken egg. I assumed it was a chair that could hide the person if they felt antisocial. On the end of the table to my right was a gorgeous, exotic chair that could only be made for royalty. On the left end was a narrow chair that I assumed was Roald's. However I had a hard time imagining that he actually eats.

Not too long after my assessment, another young girl with long pink hair sauntered over to January, kissing her gently on the forehead. Girls can be freakin' adorable when they wanna be. The girl walked over to me and smiled. "You must be the new guest. Lovely to have you here, my name is February. Try not to fall for me, darlin'!" I wondered to myself who she was trying to convince. She didn't look too much older than January though.

[Bio: February. Age 13, she is the second youngest sister and the romantic of the group. She has a tendency to quickly fall in love with guys who are nice to her, completely overlooking other factors like if the guy she likes has pure intentions or not. She has pink hair that falls to the back and sides, the length reaching her stomach/mid-lower back region. She stands at 4'3" and has an A sized cup. Her main charm is acting cute and lovey-dovey and being extremely sensual. Her specialty is psychology.]

She took her seat next to January, as I watched on. February was smothering her little sister with hugs and compliments of how adorable January was, and all the loli could do was feebly flail her arms in distress and whine about how February was in her personal space. Does this family ever fight? Not too long later, a girl with medium-length green hair came in and noticed me, jumping right beside me, too close for comfort. "Hey…are you the new guy?"

I nodded, my guard up. She laughed and put her hand on my shoulder, reassuring me she wasn't out to threaten me. "Name's March. If you get bored, lemme know. I know how to liven up any situation and make things fun!" She promptly went to her seat without letting me say anything. She sat next to February. I guess I can predict the pattern…

[Bio: March. March is the trickster of the group, enjoying simple harmless pranks on her sisters. Because of her tomboyish nature and love for traps, she'll typically leave the castle when bored to go mess with the general population. While only 16, she is proficient at fighting and gambling, and can be very sneaky when she wants to be. Her rack is a size B, and she stands at 5'1" (155cm). She is an expert in chemistry.]

Jeez, these chicks are almost polar opposites of one another. It's a wonder they can get along with all the differences. But perhaps…that's what keeps them together. With all their differences, they can each have a different take and outlook on a certain issue or discuss various ideas on how to deal with problems. They're all crucial pieces in a puzzle, and would be incomplete without each other.

March looked bored since she was both hungry and unable to mess with anyone. February was too preoccupied with smothering January, and January was doing her best to stay alive and not die from the affection. About a minute later, a girl with silver hair that lightly brushed the ground with its absurd length game in and sat next to me. She looked at me and lowered her gaze. "Um…am…am I not…pretty? Why are you…looking at me…like that?" She started to tear up, softly crying to herself. I realized that I had on a dumb look from being shocked that anyone could grow that length of hair without it being ruined.

"No, i-i-it's not that at all! I…I was just surprised. Your hair is very long. You are pretty, don't worry about it!"

She looked up. "Y…you sure?" her eyes still watery and gaze looking up at me. I don't know if it was intentional, but the way she was staring at me was cute as hell. I'm positive any other man would be smothering her in hugs like February was doing to January. I gently held one of her hands and spoke softly to her. "I'm sure. You're really cute, so don't worry about it. I'm just not used to uniqueness; give me some time, alright?" She smiled, wiping her eyes, and nodded. "I'm sorry…this happens a lot. Things get to me easily, it's my weakness. My name's April, it's nice to meet you!"

[Bio: April. April is a crybaby who lets things affect her very easily. As such, her sisters try to comfort her if needed, though as long as someone is cheering her up, that's good enough for them. She has long silver hair that is slightly longer than she is tall. Despite being 18, she still acts childish, and for this reason, gets along well with January and February. She rocks DD size breasts and stands at 4'10" (147.3cm). She excels at various sciences related to health and wellness, acting as the nurse for the family.]

I expected to be attacked by the other girls, but February and January were in their own little bubble and March was just staring dumbly at me as if to say "Bro, this shit happens all the time, don't let it get to you". After cheering up April, another girl I haven't met walked in. I instantly knew who to ask for the wifi password. This girl still had on her headset and an armband that was connected to the castle's systems, allowing her to stay in contact with team members or monitor the castle's electrical system. How did I know this? Because she sat next to me and electronics is an interest of mine. This girl had blue hair that ran about the same length as March's, except it was styled to her front rather than her back.

"Hey…ummm…I might come off as a bit of an ass, but you wouldn't happen to know the wifi password here, would you?" I asked. She glared over at me, but softened her gaze when she realized I was completely serious and asking purely out of curiosity. "Oh…that? 360noscope." Well then…I put "360noscope" into the password box and immediately I connected. Some sense of gaming humor this chick had. She turned back to me after seeing my phone, which was top of the line, brand new (it was a graduation present I purchased for myself from the money off my part time job. It was on sale, and my old cell phone was from 2018, so it was time for an upgrade anyway.)

Seeing my model phone was designed for gaming and high speed, she smiled. "Oh, are you a gamer too?" she excitedly asked. I nodded. Pretty much the top 30 graduates at my old high school were all gamers, but we preferred retro RPG types. You know, games that made us think and strategize how to attack an enemy team. The blue haired chick giggled to herself "You can call me May. Stop by as soon as you can, I wanna see how good you are. I'm mostly into FPS games, but I'm really good at everything else." She lightly punched my arm, still smirking.

[Bio: May. May, like July and March, is a tomboy, but unlike them, is obsessed with gaming. At age 21, she is relatively young to be at the top of the leaderboards in 90% of online games. Her sisters joke that May never sleeps, and they may be right. Her chest is a modest A cup, and she stands at 5'0" (152.4cm). Her academic interest, despite not achieving a formal education, is physics.]

[I should also point out that the only person to have any formal education is Kishi. The goddesses only pursued the fields that interested them and are all mostly self-taught, with some guidance by Roald.]

May sat in her high tech egg chair and stared up at the monitor above her, messaging her team mates or clan mates. I wasn't sure which. Based upon the order and naming of the females, I can safely assume January lived on floor 2, which would place May on floor 6, and if my pattern holds true, June should be here any second from floor 7. I looked at May again and noticed she was panting slightly. Did she run here from floor 6? I guess being a gamer like that doesn't give you much of an outlet for energy and exercise.

About 3 minutes passed with no one entering. Then the rest of the girls burst into the dining room, all at once. My guess is they took the elevator, which would fit the theory that the higher floors housed the later "months". A sleepy girl with bright blonde hair that reached her knees came in and stood in front of me. She wore a loose fitting night gown, which honestly was probably the only piece of clothing on her, since her enormous chest practically slapped my face when she leaned over to look at me. I could tell she wasn't wearing a bra thanks to my peripheral vision, but I took my mind off of it and looked her in the eyes. "Nnnnnn…hiiiii…I'm June. Good night, prince charming." This was her 8 word intro before going to her chair and happily falling asleep, a thick comforter keeping her warm and cozy.

[Bio: June. June is a constant sleepy-head who is always taking naps or dozing off. She can only stay awake for, at most, an hour before feeling extremely drowsy. Her chest is a teasingly large E cup, though she rarely wears anything under her night gown. She keeps a small portion of her long knee-length blonde hair towards her front, and lets the rest fall in the back. June stands at 5'8"(172.7cm) and is extremely bright at mathematics. It is rumored she sleeps so much thanks to always solving complex calculus equations in her head, which drains her energy and makes her tired.]

I spotted July and August take their seats, smiling familiarly at me. Yeah, we met before, hi to you as well! Their smiles faded into mischievous smirks shortly after. What was so funny? Don't tell me March is behind me and planning something…

"Well hello there, you hot stud!" I looked behind me. Standing there was a girl with dark amber hair, with a naughty look in her eyes. "You must be new here. I'm September, but you can call me whatever you like. Just be a good boy, okay? Maybe we can…"play" sometime, yeah?" She lightly kissed my cheek while placing her hand on my chest. I could feel my face heat up. September is definitely a hottie. However her sisters don't seem too surprised by her actions. She got up and lightly strolled to her seat, not breaking eye contact with me.

[Bio: September. September has chestnut colored hair that goes down to her mid-back. Her hair is also slightly curly, contrasting her sisters' straight hair. She is very cheeky and sexual, always trying to tease men so that they'll want her. She is well endowed with an F cup, and stands at 5'6" (167.6cm). She is age 32, and uses the combination of youth and experience to drive men wild. Oddly enough, her best academic field is theatre and acting.]

Outside the dining room door I heard faint singing and laughing. Next came in a motherly-looking girl with orange hair, waltzing over to the table before spotting me. "Hiiii, new guy!" she exclaimed. Someone sure is lively… "I'm the cook around here, my name's October! Let me know if you ever get hungry! It is rare for us to gather in the dining hall, most of the time the girls come to me when they get hungry!" Girls? Does Roald eat by himself?

[Bio: October. October wears her orange hair down to her mid-back, two long locks of it streaming down either side of her head towards the front. October is always up-beat and happy, cooking for pleasure. She even may make a large meal and deliver it outside the castle (with Roald, March, or July as protection) if she feels someone on the outside deserves it enough. She is extremely friendly and supportive to everyone else. She has an F cup, is 35 years old, and if you couldn't tell that her favorite subject is culinary arts, you're probably too tired to be reading this story and comprehend what I'm typing.]

October ran to me and hugged me tight. She smells like vanilla extract…it's really nice! October then kissed my cheek and sauntered off to her chair, which was the one with the cooking utensils on it. I already met December, who should be here last based upon this pattern. That would mean that the next person in line is…

"How do you do, young sire?" came this monotonous, bored voice. I turned around to see a girl calmly standing there, her eyes half closed. They didn't appear half closed from being tired, but rather half closed in a "I'm bored to death" kind of way. "I'm November. Forgive me if I don't show up often."

[Bio: November. November has long brown hair that is lighter in the front, and darker in the back, which gets progressively darker on the sides going back. Her hair actually goes down to her hands, which she plays with occasionally, making the hair curly at the ends. Despite being 38 years old, she appears in her late teens or early adulthood. November finds a lot of things boring, and always has a monotonous voice. She also has a tendency to stay in her room. She has a B cup, and unlike her sisters, she doesn't have a strong suit in any academic field. She is average in everything, but her best intellectual advantage comes from thinking creatively and coming up with abnormally brilliant ideas or plans.]

November slowly walked over to her seat, sat down, folded her legs in, hit the button, and let a door in her seat close her in. As I suspected, her chair let her hide since she was anti-social. I started wondering if she was always like that…

Right as the door closed on her egg chair, December came in the room with a rapier strapped to her side, wearing an elegant dress you would expect in a Victorian-era dance with nobles. She drew her sword as she walked past me and lightly tapped my head with it, careful not to injure me. Smiling, she said "Hello, Mister Kishi. I will do the introductions, so you just sit there and get embarrassed from all the attention you are about to receive."

She then sheathed her sword and went to her seat. Well, this is about to get interesting. I really didn't like being the center of attention, but I suppose I mind as well be known if I'm staying here for any amount of time longer than a week. I stood up as December was getting ready to speak. Apparently, November could hear what was going on outside because she opened her chair back up and stared at me with this blank glare.

"Welcome to the dining hall everyone! Today, a new guest graces us with his presence. His name…is Kōkatsuna Kishi. Please be kind to him, I sense that he will be a very kind guest, so be nice to him. That goes for you too, July!" July just grunted. Then it hit me: How does December know my name? I never told her…unless Roald spoke with her about me. The guy's a towering stick; I wouldn't be surprised if he telepathically knew my name. I'll ask how she figured my name out later. I also noticed that everyone was looking at me, each having a different facial expression.

Roald came out with the dishes, placing each one down in front of the girls. I couldn't tell what some of the others got, but I noticed that April got cake, ice cream, and fried fish. May received French fries, sweet corn, mashed potatoes, and a really giant bowl of popcorn. And when I say giant, I mean it was about the size (and shape) of a standard size desktop computer, maybe 25% larger.

I received a few different sandwiches, one grilled cheese, one ham, and one a…toast sandwich? Oh wait, nevermind, that's just three slices of buttered toast. I also have a large bowl of pasta with parmesan cheese sprinkled on. Well, this seems like something I can get used to.

I finished my food quickly. I was done when everyone else was only halfway finished. The food here is just…so much better than anything else I have ever had! I mean, it looks good but it tastes so much more amazing! I sat there and sipped my water, waiting for everyone else. Roald ate very little and was slowly rationing it out over the course of the meal. He noticed that I was done and promptly entered the kitchen, coming out almost instantly after with a few more sandwiches and a side of fries, similar to May's.

The meal was delicious! Afterwards, everyone got up and started asking me questions about what my life was like, so I gave them a short recount of my past, just filling out the basics. Before long, everyone left to go back to their rooms…or floors I suppose. The only three people left in the room were Roald, me, and December. I knew they could tell that I was curious to ask them something.

I walked over towards them. "So, how did you know my name?" December told me "Oh, Roald here told me shortly before we ate. Why don't you ask him?" Nice cop out. I turned to Roald, not needing to say anything. "Well…I knew because your name was on your notebook when you dropped it…"

Oh…that's…true. I suppose that makes sense. So he isn't a mind reader or anything. Or maybe he is, since he could tell I was hesitant. "Y-yeah…I guess that makes sense. I was just curious, thanks for telling me. So is everyone headed back to their rooms?" Roald nodded, December taking that as a cue to return to her quarters. I also took that as my cue to return. "Thanks for dinner Roald, it was the best meal I've ever had!" He smiled happily, something I have not seen him do until just now.

I returned to my room only to find January on my laptop. I was about to ask her why she's in my room and on my computer, but then I noticed she was just playing one of my games, not overriding my save points. I guess she's alright as long as she doesn't delete my progress. I sat down behind her. "Hey, what'cha doing?" She seemed a bit startled when I spoke. "Ah…uhh…I'm bored! S-s-sorry!"

January blushed really hard and turned towards me, her hands locked together by her chin. I got up and gently rubbed her head. "It's alright. Don't worry. Why don't you ask Roald to play with you?" I asked. She pouted slightly and said "Because you're the new guy and I want you to feel accepted!" I wasn't expecting that…

January somehow managed to drag me to floor 2. There were many doors here, and she took me through one of them. This floor was kept pretty cold, but it wasn't unbearable. It wasn't long before we reached a room with a lot of random structures and furniture in it. "Okay Kō-Kō, I'll hide and you have to find me. Close your eyes, count to ten!" I agreed and our game of hide and seek began.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: January, goddess of the lolis

"Kō-Kō", huh? Cute nickname, January. I'll pay you back by finding you. Back at home as a child, I played hide and seek pretty often with my friends, and while I was not the best, I was in the top ten at any given time. "One…Two…Three…Four…Five…Six…Seven…Eight…" I heard no more movement, nor felt any nearby in the floor, so either she was done hiding or she was far away. It was hard to tell. "Nine…Ten! Ready or not, here I come!"

It was dark and silent. Not a sound could be heard. However there was enough light in the room to tell colors and shapes, like tell a lamp from a loli. I crept quietly across the room, careful not to make a sound. For all I know she could have different rules than what I'm used to. The way I know hide and seek is someone stays put and you have to find them. Maybe if she hears me close by, she'll quietly dart somewhere else. Rules with her could be different. I probably should have said something sooner.

I looked around every object and heard no movements. Was I even close? I heard no breathing or saw no movements. It almost felt like I was the only one in the room. Where on earth could she be? I checked in, around, on, and under every conceivable object and item in the room and found no trace of her. Did she leave the room?

I heard soft giggling nearby. So she's still here…but where? I checked towards the source of the sound but found nothing there. Not even a tape recorder or anything to throw me off. Is she somehow being a ninja? I stopped looking and started thinking. The room is dark, but why? To help conceal the participants of hide and seek, or…?

I went to the nearest wall and touched it. It felt…angled and curved. After about half a minute, I realized that this room is designed to throw sounds across the room, so she could very well be on the opposite side of the room and still sound close by, even if she isn't. This must have been built very precisely so that the sound would only be heard in one area and not across the entire room, as if she was omnipresent.

"Over here, silly!" I heard nearby. I turned to my right. As I suspected, she must be moving. How unfair! If the sound came from five meters to my right, where the wall is, then she must be about…20 meters to my left. I turned around and ran to the other side. You've got nowhere to go, sunshine!

"KYAHHHHH!" I heard her yell as she stubbornly tripped over an object, her arms outstretched. I walked over to her side and poked her. "I found you!" I subtly sang. She whined softly "Fiiiiiiine…you win…"

January got up slowly, rubbing her cheek. "Jeez, you didn't hafta run…you made me trip!" I apologized…"Sorry, but you did move around when you're not supposed to in hide and seek." She looked puzzled. "H-huh? R-really? But that's how my sisters and I always play it!"

I sighed heavily. Who came up with the rules? I thought about asking her but decided it was too trivial. I'd probably find out in due time anyway from context clues. I like figuring things out.

"Okay so maybe you figured out how the room works…but can you catch me?" I was a couple feet away from her; I could catch her if I wanted. Oh wait, don't tell me…

"Tag, you're it!" She ran off and jumped over what looked like a one meter tall industrial water pipe with purple velvet glued onto it. Okay she didn't exactly jump over it, mostly dived over it and disappeared. I ran in the same direction and put one hand on it, using that as leverage to jump over it. Surprisingly, yet somehow not surprisingly, she was nowhere to be found.

I checked the walls. They were pretty solid. Is she just that sneaky? I calmed down and looked around me for movement. Still nothing. She must have some kind of ninja training for her to be this stealthy. Okay, here's an idea…

I ran over to the tallest object in the room and started climbing it. It almost reached the ceiling, but thankfully I was thin enough to squeeze into the very top. To anyone observing, it would appear that I was planking.

I carefully turned in a full circle and saw slight movement, but it escaped my peripheral vision before I could register what it was. Thankfully I knew what my target was so I knew it was January, she was just skirting across the ground really fast. I kept turning, her movements just barely escaping my sight. I gotcha now…

I turned the opposite way and noticed that she was still running in the same direction as before. She looked up at me, had this look on her face like it was the end of the world, then pouted. "Hey, you cheated! You can't do that!" to which I replied "Why didn't you say something before then? Don't you make the rules?"

"Well…yeah, when it comes to games like these…" Bingo, so you DO make the rules for these games. "…okay fine, rule number one! No climbing things!" She then darted off at inhumane speeds to my left. She clearly is going at speeds slightly faster than my fastest sprinting speed. I'd have to be clever and think ahead here. But first things first, gotta get down.

I made my way down from my vantage point and gave it some thought. She's moving quickly and without any sound being made. Most of the objects are in the center of the room. How can I catch her under these conditions?

The objects are firmly planted into the floor, so I can't block her off by moving one of them. If I tried chasing her, she'd just outrun me. If I ran in the opposite direction mid-chase or tried running across the room to cut her off, she'd pick up on it and keep her distance. Therefore, the only option I have is to beat her at her own game.

I decided to walk to the edge of the room and slowly get on the floor, crawling silently to the right, opposite the direction she ran. As long as she didn't pick up on my location, I could sneak up on her.

"Uhhh…K…Kō…Kō?" I could tell I was sneaking up on her, as she seemed to be closer than she normally is. I kept crawling, careful not to make a sound. "A…are you okay? Did you leave? I…I can't tell where you are…!"

Almost gotcha…as I rounded the corner, I saw January looking into the distance, almost in the opposite direction where I was. She started to slowly move towards an object, and I could tell she was going to look for me. I jumped to my feet and ran after her. She was completely unaware that I was so close and again tripped over the object, landing on her back. I climbed over carefully and sat on my knees at her side and poked her cheek.

"Tag, you're it, princess." Upon saying this, she groaned slightly. "Ugh…you're too good! No one has ever gotten as close to being as stealthy or sly as you!" Directly after saying this, she sat up and smiled. "I like you, you're pretty good! Sometime in the future, I'll have February come over and we'll tag-team you! Then you'll be in trouble!" I replied without thinking, "Fine. I get Roald on my team." January's eyes got wide after I said this. "Ah?! Ahahaha…nevermind what I said! Hehehe…" She laughed nervously.

January proceeded to stand up. "Come on, I'll make you some tea. Think of it as congratulations for catching me!" Guess I really can't argue with that. I followed her outside to the familiar hallway with all the doors. We proceeded to go through another door on the opposite side, which led to a corridor. Still chilly here though. Good thing I'm used to this kind of climate. I spent many vacations in northern Japan.

At the end of the corridor, January opened up her room. It was white everywhere, with light shades of purple as the wallpaper. She had a ton of stuffed animals and an actual tea set (and a really varied and complex one too) off in a corner. I sat down at a small table while January heated up some water in one of those electric water heaters. The kinds that are like kettles but you don't put them on a hot stove.

She proceeded to lay out two cups and got the loose tea leaves ready. She had all kinds, from white chocolate tea to lavender citrus tea. There were literally about 75 or more containers that probably each weighed 2.5kg, since she seemed a bit bothered by the size and weight of each container.

"Need any help?" I asked. She wobbled over to the table and set down one of the containers labeled "Winter Bliss: Special Edition". "Nuh uh, I got it! It's just a bit heavy for me, but I can manage!" I couldn't tell what was cuter, seeing her try to lift something on her own or the proud smile she had after successfully getting the container on the table.

She scooped some out and set it in a metal cup-like thing that acts like a tea bag. "Would you like to try some? This kind is my favorite, I drink maybe three cups of this a day!" Considering she probably drinks the others, that's pretty impressive. I nodded, wondering how winter could have a distinct enough taste to warrant its very own flavor of tea.

Happily, she put some of the tea in another small metal container and twisted the lid back on the container. She then adorably wobbled over to the shelf where she took it from and barely managed to push it back into place before falling on her butt. "Gah! Owie…"

"Hahaha…are you okay?" I laughed. She got up and winced lightly, rubbing her butt. "Y…yeah, that always happens. I just don't have a lot of upper body strength. But I like to be independent." She sat down next to me. She looked at me, her giant black eyes and short black hair making her the cutest thing I have ever seen. I couldn't take it anymore; I hugged her and could only yell one word: "KAWAIIIIIII!"

"KYAHHH!" She hollered. January smelled like mint…like clean, fresh mint. It's hard to describe, but imagine if someone washed a mint leaf in the purest water in the world, crushed it up, and stuck it up your nose. Except it was the right balance between obnoxiously strong and subtly weak. She smelled refreshingly, mind-clearingly minty.

After feeling like I smothered her enough I let go and got the now-boiling pot of water. Her face was a bright red and she hid the bottom half of her face under her sweater, curled into a ball. Did I go too far? February teased and hugged her all the time at dinner. I poured the boiling water into the cups and gestured for her to take over. Shyly, January put the tea cups into the ceramic cups with the hot water and put the lids on them.

I decided to break the ice. "Ummm…sorry, I just couldn't sit there and not be enamored with your cuteness…" Shit, I probably sound like a pedophile now. I saw her as an adorable little sister that I'd want to protect, not get intimate with.

"Ummm…it…it's okay…I'm j-j…" She sighed, her voice shaky. "Shy…" She then whined and hid, practically disappearing under her oversized sweater. Is there any way she could be cuter than this?

I poked the top of her head. Her hair felt cool to the touch, but was soft and silky, almost like a blend of fleece and silk. She whined out "nnnnn!" as if to say "I'm not coming out, and you can't make me!" I sighed, half smiling, half laughing. "How long does the tea sit for?"

She muttered from behind the sweater "I'm timing it…" So I sat there in silence, waiting for her to stop being a turtle. After a few minutes she did come out and remove the tops of the cups, setting the tea cups into a miniature sink to her left. I looked at my tea, which looked like a lavender-milky kind of color. Weird color for tea, of all things.

She took some brown rocks from a large container to my right, reaching over to do so. January has extremely fair skin, you'd think she stole it from a newborn baby. I guessed they were sugar rocks, since my mother made tea like this before when I was younger. However as I got older she was unable to work at the high-paying job she had due to stress, which caused some odd psychological issues with her to arise. She's gotten better since, but it didn't take long before we could no longer afford to make expensive, gourmet tea like we used to.

She dropped a handful in her cup and a handful in my cup. They disappeared under the milky-purple concoction. "Wait a while, it's still hot." Well okay, a hot winter tea. Go figure. I turned to January, who had her head resting against her hand. We kind of just stared at each other for a solid 10 seconds before she smiled. "To be honest, it's kinda nice having someone other than Feb over for tea. The older girls don't like tea; they either have coffee, soda, or just plain old boring water. But tea, especially this one is so…good…and warm…and…" She seemed to trail off into her own bliss, thinking of the steaming cup in front of her.

I took a rock of sugar from the enormous built-into-the-wall endless container to my right and threw it into her open mouth. She started sucking on the rock, and slowly came to her senses. "Oh, showy…I got kharried away!" January, just eat the rock before I hug you again.

She let the rock dissolve away and then spoke. "February is a lot of things and she's super nice, but even though you may not be interested in someone so young, nevertheless try not to fall for her." She took a good five seconds struggling with the pronunciation of "nevertheless". "Don't worry, I won't. I'm not THAT desperate." I laughed softly. January softly replied, almost as if a warning, "If you're too nice to her, she'll fall for you and you may be tempted to not spend any more time with me…and you're fun to be around so don't fall for her."

Weird. Why would that be? Is February extremely possessive? I get the feeling I'd find that out later. I decided to try my tea, since January already took the first sip, relishing every molecule she had. Upon it entering my mouth, it was both hot and cold. It was hot in temperature, but it tasted like the mint was so concentrated that it was practically made of ice. Aside from a strong mint flavor, there was also a strong white chocolate flavor. I could also pick up the taste of lavender and rosemary. Strange combination, but I couldn't argue with it. This tea was freaking amazing!

It didn't take me too long to down the cup. January was halfway done hers by the time I was finished. So I sat with her, blissfully enjoying the aftertaste. For some odd reason, my head felt unnaturally clear, as if someone rubbed mint all over my brain. I felt alert, awake, full of energy, and strangely enough, extremely happy. It was hard not to smile after that cup.

"You may feel energetic right now, but in an hour the lavender will kick in and you'll be very tired. You're welcome to play with me until then, and rest on my bed afterwards!" Like I mentioned, my mind was clear and alert. Is she offering to sleep with me? As in cuddling, I hope. I didn't know about her but I wasn't about to lose my virginity to a little girl…

I then noticed a small wooden bunny plaque on her wall that said "January, born of ***** and ******** on January 31, 1943". I did the math. Wait…is she actually 100 years old? And are we both born on the same date? I looked at her and she seemed to know what I was thinking.

"Yeah…everyone here is actually a lot older than their appearance suggests. We just stopped aging at a specific point in our lives. I'm not sure who my parents are, the letters faded a long time ago when I accidentally dropped hot water on it while making my first batch of tea." She giggled softly. I started to wonder how old everyone else really was.

Regardless of her age in being alive, she still spoke, looked, and seemed to be 10 years old. I decided to stand up. "Well, what do you wanna do now?" She stood up as well, but did a small handstand which transitioned into her standing up, somehow. Yup, there's definitely no doubt about it, she's a ninja.

January jumped on her bed, which was huge and had probably 25 pillows with a comforter about 40cm thick on it. She must sleep really well. I stood there observing what she was doing. She got on one half of the bed, buried herself under the comforter, and practically disappeared. I walked over, wondering if she traveled to another dimension. I looked under the comforter, which was kind of heavy, and before I could react, a pouncing January pulled me into her dark fortress of warmth.

I climbed out and ended up on the right side of the bed, and she poked out on the left side. "Hahaha, I gotcha! No use leaving, unless you can break metal!" Great to know…wait, what? She tapped a few buttons on her tablet and before I know it, some metal guard-rails rose from the edges of the bed, almost caging us in. Okay, what the hell is going on?

The bed dropped. It literally fell through the floor into an icy wasteland. It was bitterly cold, so I shoved myself under the comforter. What a nice contrast, a cold outside but toasty on the inside. January wrapped herself around my torso, laughing softly. "I hope you like roller coasters…"

Wait…WHAT?! The bed started moving, the guard rails only going high enough to keep the comforter from falling off (If that somehow happened, I doubt it would considering how heavy it was) and the pillows from tipping over. So the rails were high behind us and to our sides, but low at the foot of the bed. I know technology is advancing fast, but this is just crazy.

We started moving, slowly flying above the frozen wasteland, the bed humming softly like the motor on a car stopped at a red light. It didn't take very long for me to fall asleep in the middle of the winter ride.

I wasn't sure who fell asleep first, but when I woke up I was still in January's bed, thankfully still fully clothed, and unable to move because a 30kg girl was sleeping peacefully on my chest. I groaned softly. How on earth was I gonna get out of this one? I seriously doubt January is just gonna wake up and-

Roll over? She rolled to my left, still asleep, happily laughing at whatever she was dreaming about. I got out of the bed and silently crept towards the door. I couldn't spend all day with just one person. Besides, I had to make sure no one else was messing with my laptop!

I opened the door and quietly snuck out. As I closed the door and turned the handle into the "closed" position (to be as silent as possible), I heard some clapping behind me. "Bravo, bravo! You didn't get a black eye!" I turned around. At the end of the hall was March, wearing a sports bra and shorts that came to her upper thighs. She had green fighting gloves on with knee-high boots and a mischievous smile.

"So you didn't try anything on Jan. Awesome." What is she getting at? "Ummm…of course not, she's a little kid. Why would I try anything on her?" March seemed to laugh at my question, and then replied "Well, she is adorable. I don't know how moral you are, so who knows, maybe you would have tried to get sexual with her. But it wouldn't end well."

By now we were entering the main hallway side by side. March was a bit closer than I would have preferred, but I really didn't mind…March was pretty. She explained "We have had a few guests before that tried to do things to January while she was asleep. As deep a sleeper as she is, she can still tell in her sleep what is going on in her immediate vicinity in the real world. So before those guys could try anything, she'd wake up and knock them out. Out of everyone here, January is one of the best fighters just because of this self-defense mechanism she has. She can beat up any number of people but once she's done, she falls unconscious for awhile. She loves cuddling, but try anything she isn't comfortable with and she'll knock you out cold!"

No pun intended? Anyway, I wasn't going to try anything with her anyway. Heck, even if she tried I would have pushed her away. I told March this and she smiled "Yeah, they always say that but then do the opposite. Look, if you want someone who is easy and willing, ask September. She'll ride you for 6 hours non-stop if she could. But then you'd pass out and she'd have to wait for you to wake up."

I made a mental note to not go to her floor alone unless I'm prepared to bathe in lust. We walked a bit more before arriving at the elevator. March seemed confused. "Huh…I rode this down, why is it not on this floor?" Her question received its answer when December arrived, brandishing a rapier at my throat.

"What did you do to January, you pig?!" She yelled. For a lady, she can be quite scary. I stammered "N-n-nothing! We h-had t-t-tea and talked!" Well, we also went on a roller coaster thing, which made me think maybe she spiked my tea with something, but if I mentioned that we napped together, she might run the sword right through my neck.

March vouched for me. "Don't worry, Kōkatsuna is sincere. I'm pretty good at detecting lies, and if he tried anything, he would have gotten clocked cold." At this, December returned her sword to its holster. "Sorry…forgive my rudeness. I care deeply for January, since she is the most innocent of us all. I suppose assuming is the most barbaric act anyone can perform. I apologize."

"N-no, it is okay. I understand you're protective of her, as am I." Did I just admit to protecting someone despite not knowing that much about combat? Well damn, I really gotta stop volunteering for things if I have no clue how to go about them.

December laughed softly "Oh Kōkatsuna hun, I doubt you could even beat June in a fist fight when it's close to her hourly nap time." Way to kill my manhood. Why not tell me I'm so weak that I can't even lift up my own spirits right now?

March seemed to sense my hurt ego. "Don't worry newbie, I'll be sure to teach you a few things so that you can her outside and protect her! But I'll be right behind you in case things get ugly. Don't ask July yet even though she's the main fighter here or her training will kick your ass!"

December coughed. I guess she doesn't like swear words being said around her. March looked away, seemingly half ashamed but also half annoyed. I decided to pay no attention to her. I looked at December, who smiled warmly at me. I could also see her giving me bedroom eyes. Yeah…I'm just gonna play innocent right now.

"So ummm…do you teach fencing, December?" She seemed to hesitate slightly. "No, but I suppose I could. Would you like to learn?" I nodded. Swords always interest me, especially the larger ones that took two arms to wield. March snapped back to the conversation and interjected with "Heck no, not until you learn unarmed combat first!"

I expected December to glare at her, but instead she gave off a defeated look. "Yes, I concur. You must learn the basics of unarmed combat so that you are dexterous enough to wield a weapon. Swords require grace and precision to properly use." To which March replied "Unless we give him a heaping raw blade of iron longer than July's attention span!"

December couldn't help but start hysterically laughing. I stood there puzzled. March smirked before looking at me. "Need a good joke, just ask me. You'll understand some of my humor once you get to know everyone. I'm on the fourth floor, come by if you wanna learn the basics of how to fight. Though you may wish to visit May first, since I love setting up traps everywhere. If you don't wanna get caught in anything, have her show you how to get around and past my devices."

With that, she ran up the stairs to her floor. December started to catch her breath and started breathing normally again. "Oh my, she is too much! What a riot!" She smiled peacefully, looking as gorgeous as a mature woman could possibly look.

"Well, if you wish to talk or learn fencing, I invite you to my floor at any time. Maybe I could make tea for you. January is good, but she still has a lot to learn from the master of classic brews." With this she walked to the elevator, hit the button for her floor, winked at me, and then went up.

I'm going to go out on a limb here and assume she taught January how to make tea from the loose leaves. Interesting, this may explain how they bonded so closely. Looking back on the door that leads to January's room, I decided to learn martial arts. To do that, I'd have to see March. But to get past her traps that she claims to have, I'd have to speak to May. What a wild goose chase…

I went up to the sixth floor. Everything here was high-tech futuristic. There were lights everywhere and LEDs embedded everywhere I looked. On one door to the left (the same general area where January's room was, just four floors higher) was a little metal box with a button on it. I went over, pressed the button, and heard May.

"May here." She stated. "Uh… Kōkatsuna here…I was wondering if you could teach me how to get past March's traps on her-"

The door opened before I could finish the sentence. In my brief moment of silence, May stated her conditions. "If you can even achieve a k/d ratio above 0.01 against me, then I might consider it."

So I walked into her room curiously. Inside was a large TV with a FPS game blaring its gunshots loudly. May was lying on a beanie chair on the floor, not paying any attention to me. I went inside, the whole place dark except for the TV, and sat on the beanie next to her. I watched her play an online match, and was amazed. I thought I was good at video games, but she was wrecking the other team entirely. All I saw was her racking up the kills and points while switching roles, from sniper to foot soldier to helicopter pilot, not faltering at any role.

As the match ended, she received the highest score (which was a bit more than 10 times higher than the second highest score), and I heard an annoyed "tch!" to my left. "Usually I do much better than this…" I tried cheering her up. "Better? I haven't seen anyone kick as much ass as you did just now!" To my surprise, she mellowed out and smiled. "Yeah, just wait until you see me when I'm at my best!"

She quit the online lobby and went to a local match. Before I knew it, she slid a controller across the ground towards me. "Want any snacks or drinks?" She pointed to an LED lit refrigerator with so much soda inside you could stay awake for weeks. Above the refrigerator (and to either side) were boxes of random snacks, ranging from gummy bears to potato chips and everything else in existence you would consider a snack for serious gamers.

"Not right now, I don't want to get the controller dirty." She shrugged. "Aight. It's there if you want any. I mean I usually take a break every couple hours and snack on a few. Five minutes is all I need to recharge myself."

I customized my character with different weapons and equipment. I was used to having some type of assault rifle as my primary weapon with a pistol as backup. She nodded at my selection, noting "Okay okay, fair selection. At least you aren't a complete noob, maybe we can have some fun here…"

I finished my character and with one hit of a button (and one sip of some highly caffeinated drink that I could only make out as some variant of Mountain Dew), she started a match that had no time limit and a point count of 100. "If you can kill me once before I kill you 100 times, I'll make the time to teach you about March's traps. Little did I know that I'd end up staying in her room for much longer than I had hoped.


End file.
